The Car Connection Expert Review

Likes

Dislikes

Rides a little stiffly

Steering feels heavy

Cabin is on the smaller side

Skimpy rear-seat head room

Kia hits game reset, and gives the 2011 Sportage an appealing new look and feel.

We used to call them “cute-utes.” From the Ford Escape, to the Honda CR-V on to the Hyundai Tucson and Kia Sportage, a generation of small sport-utility vehicles were pitched at first-time shoppers in the hopes they’d trade up to bigger, higher-profit SUVs in the future.

Now that the SUV time-space continuum’s been disrupted by gas prices and a sour economy, these compact crossovers are growing up a little, doing the reverse of their original intent. They’re becoming a good alternative for buyers trading down from the larger utes that fell out of fashion over what seems like a matter of months.

With the 2011 Sportage, Kia’s placed its bets in all the right places. The Sportage has grown up into real-world dimensions, with more cargo space than ever. It’s still among the smaller vehicles in its class but it fits adults better in all situations.

And though it’s a mechanical twin of the 2010 Hyundai Tucson underneath, the Sportage’s sheetmetal hits the sport-ute crowd squarely with its smart blend of rugged details and hatchback practicality. The Tucson’s “fluidic sculpture” theme is compelling, but it can’t beat the Kia’s refreshing, crisp take on utility—and the Sportage has an equally direct and good-looking cockpit that contributes a lot to the crossover’s newfound quality feel. It’s even tackling the hands-free-arena with UVO, a Microsoft-engineered system with much in common with Ford’s SYNC; the Tucson has to wait while Kia gets it all to itself.

Pricing has jumped considerably for this Sportage. Its base price of just under $19,000 means the coming 270-hp SX model will nudge the $30,000 bottom line. That pitches the Sportage into a headlong battle with the longtime titans in this group—CR-V, Forester and Escape—and overlaps the base price of larger vehicles like the 2011 Ford Explorer. A higher sticker price could turn off some shoppers, but most who kick the Sportage’s tires will be far more impressed with its magnitude of change.

A great vehicle but fuel economy could be better

Overall Rating

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Fuel Economy / MPG

Reliability

We bought it as a demo in 2011. It is an extremely reliable vehicle as has our three previous Kia autos. Other than two or three minor recall and warranty items it has performed well with routine maintenance...
We bought it as a demo in 2011. It is an extremely reliable vehicle as has our three previous Kia autos. Other than two or three minor recall and warranty items it has performed well with routine maintenance. Fuel usage is around 10L/100km; I expected better but I guess its not bad considering it has AWD. + More »

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April 10, 2015

For 2011 Kia Sportage

good looking but mediocre performance

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the Sportage is no doubt one of the best if not the best looking small SUV. It is also very reliable technically, but on the negative it's drive comfort is not too great in low speeds { very hard suspension}...
the Sportage is no doubt one of the best if not the best looking small SUV.
It is also very reliable technically, but on the negative it's drive comfort is not too great in low speeds { very hard suspension} and gas mileage in town is poor + More »

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April 18, 2016

2017 Kia Sportage LX FWD

Sporty yet comfortable

Overall Rating

Interior/Exterior

Performance

Comfort and Quality

Safety

Features

Fuel Economy / MPG

Reliability

Helped my son buy this ute. Drove and looked at many competitors utes. This ute is hands down the best. Both my son and I agree. Smooth powerful 4 cylinder. Beautiful interior. My son is a big kid. Lot of room...
Helped my son buy this ute. Drove and looked at many competitors utes. This ute is hands down the best. Both my son and I agree. Smooth powerful 4 cylinder. Beautiful interior. My son is a big kid. Lot of room for him inside. This ute has sporty handling for what it is. Very quiet and comfortable on the highway. I could go on and on ,but being a long time hobby mechanic. This ute is the real deal. Would recommend the Poular package. Power seat, heated seats, beautiful upgraded cloth seats and much more. WOW + More »